Grommet for roving machine



Mll'ch 3, 1970 l ARGEREU 3,498,040

GROMMET FOR RovING MACHINE Filed Aug. 20, 1968 Illln ENToR WILLIAM GEREU FIG. e BY mw na ATTORNEYS United States Patent.

3,498,040 GROMMET FOR ROVING MACHINE William Argereu, Hickory Drive, Pole 4, North Scituate, RJ. 02857 Filed Aug. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 754,037 Int. Cl. D01h 7/24, 13/04 U.S. Cl. 57-115 3 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A grommet for leading roving to the flyer of a roving machine composed of an oil impervious plastic material which may be molded and which has an upwardly flaring conical opening with a friction means adjacent its upper end for contacting the roving, the conical surface being adapted to the angle of approach of the roving which passes through the opening and so shaped that the friction means is contacted by the roving sufficiently to impart a twist to the roving.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Grommets for directing the roving to the flyer of a roving machine heretofore have been formed of rubber having smooth surfaces and a relatively high tension must be had on the roving in order for there to be a suiiicient friction between the grommets and the roving to impart a twist thereto. Further the grommets deteriorated from oils which contacted the grommets and was present in the roving being worked and the roving tended to fuzz with the use of such grommets. Further grommets were of uniform size regardless of whether they were used for the back yarn packages or front yarn packages of the roving franre although the angle of approach of the roving to the grommets in the front of the machine were much different than the angle of approach of the roving to the grommets in the rear package of the machine. This resulted in uneven rovings being formed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The grommet is formed of an oil impervious plastic material such for example as polyurethane having a hole therethrough which opens into the top and bottom surfaces of the grommet and flares outwardly from bottom to top along the lines of a generally inverted cone, this surface being such that it is related to the angle of approach of the roving so that the roving will draw over the upper edge of the conical surface where frictional contact means is provided sufficient to impart a twist to the roving as it passes therethrough. The grommets thus vary for the front and back packages of a roving machine to accommodate the different angles of approach of the yarn to the grommet. Fuzzing is materially reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an improved grommet according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the grommet of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the relation Patented Mar. 3, 1970 The grommets of the present invention comprise cylindrical `bodies of polyurethane composition having a hole from top to bottom with an inside inverted conical surface terminating within the body at a small lower opening and aring outwardly at the open upper end. The conical surface has a roughened texture and spiral ridges at the locus between the conical surface and the outward upward flare.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals apply to like parts throughout, it will be seen that I have provided an improved grommet 10 for roving machines such for example as the Saco-Lowell Rovematic. FIGURES l-5 show one of the grommets 10 as comprising a cylindrical body of a polyurethane composition having an outer cylindrical wall 14, and flat bottom face 16 and top face 18. Means for mounting the grommet in a roving machine is shown at 20 as including a central bore 22 opening out at bottom surface 16. An annulus 24 serves to hold the grommet in a part rotatable with flyer F in a bearing on the roving frame arm 36 as will be understood by one skilled in the art.

The body has an upwardly aring inverted generally conical recess providing an inverted conical recess with a slightly concave surface formation at 26 extending to the lower opening 28, which communicates with bore 22. The generally conical surface 26 merges with the Outwardly ared surface 30 at 32.

The surfaces 30 and 26 at their upper portion have friction means associated therewith for the desired physical contact with the roving which 'by reason of the concavity and a slight ballooning better contact at this friction location. The friction means includes forming the entire surface 26, 30 with a roughened texture which is of sand-blasted-like form. This is effected by sand-blasting the mold surfaces which form these Surfaces.

The friction means also includes the ridge formation 34. The ridge formations are a series of short ridges extending along portions of helical paths, all at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the body and to the elements of the conical surface and approximate a half ofa knurled surface. The ridges are located at the juncture of the conical surface 26 and the outwardly ared surface 30.

The grommet 10 is mounted on arm 36 and is rotatably carried by a bearing (not shown). The roving R extends into the grommet 10 at the angle A shown between the roving and axis of the grommet which is a greater angle than the angle B which the conical surface 26 makes with the axis of the hole through the grommet and thus is frictionally in contact with the friction means and ridge formations by being pulled down over the friction means and before passing through the inside opening 28 and thence to the flyer F.

The rotation of grommet 10 puts a substantially perfect twist or fake twist into the roving.

The grommet 10 (FIG. 6) is identical with grommet 10 except the included angle of conical surfaces 26' is less, the numbers correspond except with a prime added. This grommet is fitted to an arm which is closer to the source of the roving. Thus, the steeper angle of surface 26 functions as does surface 28 to put a proper twist into the roving. Heretofore, grommets employed in roving machines have been of uniform size and shape regardless of the angle of incline of the roving, operation is greatly improved with the utilization of grommets having inside surfaces related to the incline of the roving, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

In FIGS. 4 and 7 the relation of the conical hole and roving are shown somewhat exaggerated in order to emphasize the locations of contact of the roving R with the guiding surface of the grommet. With the angle A greater than the 4angle B of the surface 34 contacted by the roving, the roving is pulled down onto the friction means so that a good grip is had to impart twist or false twist to the roving there being some ballooning at 35 between this contact location and contact point 37 adjacent opening 28, 28'.

I claim:

1. A roving machine grommet comprising an oil impervious non-metallic body having a top and bottom and a hole therethrough opening into said top and bottom and flaring outwardly from bottom to top along a generally inverted conical surface, said surface having friction means adjacent its upper end so located as to be contacted by yarn leading to said opening at an acute angle to the axis of said opening greater than the angle of said surface to said axis, said friction means including ridges disposed along a portion of a helix located on an inside peripheral surface portion.

2. A grommet according to claim 1 wherein said ridges are short and partially helical in shape and located at the junction of the conical surface and the outwardly Haring end, and said surface is of sand-blasted-like texture.

3. A roving machine grommet comprising an oil impervious non-metallic body having a top and bottom and .a hole therethrough opening into said ,top and bottom and flaring outwardly from bottom to top along a generally inverted conical surface, said material comprising polyurethane presenting a friction surface adjacent its upper end so located as to be contacted by yarn leading to said opening at an acute angle to the axis of said opening greater than the angle of said surface to said axis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,814,926 12/1957 Berberich 57-115 2,919,080 12/1959 Moore 242-157 2,294,742 9/1942 Fraser 57-l l5 2,753,679 7/1956 Schmoller et al. 57-115 2,867,970 1/1959 Richter 57--115 2,878,637 3/1959 Bacon 57-115 FOREIGN PATENTS 399,231 10/1942 Italy.

DONALD E. WATKINS, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 57-106 

